Alpha olefin sulfonates are commonly manufactured by reacting alpha olefins with sulfur trioxide utilizing falling film technology as taught by Knaggs et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,142 followed by neutralization in an aqueous medium containing alkali metal hydroxide. In addition to alkali metal sulfonates, the initial resulting product also characteristically contains unreacted olefins and sulfur containing organic components, chiefly sultones, which are not alkali metal sulfonates.
For purposes of maximizing conversion levels of alpha olefins to alpha olefins sulfonates, of minimizing to the point of elimination the presence of non-sulfonate sulfur containing components, and of bleaching, since such intermediate products are characteristically too dark in color for commercial acceptability, and so must be bleached, prior art alpha olefin sulfonate manufacturing technology fails to provide adequate teachings or suggestions. When bleaching is undertaken by the prior art technology, sulfur containing organic components which are not alkali metal sulfonates are actually produced as by-products, adding to any undesirable components already present.
In the present context (except where stated or implied in a narrower sense) the term "alpha olefin sulfonate(s)" is used in its broadest commercially accepted sense to include not only 1,2-alkene-1-sulfonates, but also generally a broad mixture of alkenyl sulfonates, hydroxyalkane sulfonates, poly (primarily -di-) sulfonates, hydroxy alkenyl sulfonates, and similarly related sulfonates; such so-called commercial alpha olefin sulfonate products also contain quantities of hydrocarbons, alpha olefins and isomerized olefins, aliphatic alcohols, and lesser quantities of other by-products and unreacted matter, as well as, inorganic species, all in an aqueous system.